Best Sexual Position to Get Pregnant

When you're trying to conceive a baby, you're willing to try anything and everything it takes to have success. Many women wonder if there is a best sexual position to get pregnant and many old wives’ tales support the idea that, yes, indeed, there may be a best position to get pregnant. Let's take a look at some of these suggestions and see if there's any truth to the tales.

Best Position to Get Pregnant?

Positions, time of day, what you eat...there's an endless supply of advice and anecdotes for women trying to conceive. When trying to get pregnant, sex positions seem to come up more than anything else. But do any positions increase your chances?

Unfortunately, there's no scientific proof one way or the other that there is any best sexual position to get pregnant. That doesn't mean some positions don't make more sense than others. If you consider the goal to be getting sperm as close to the cervix as possible, then deeper penetration makes sense. Missionary Style and Doggie Style both result in deeper penetration than other positions, which can help sperm find the egg.

Sex Positions to Avoid

As mentioned above, you want the sperm to find their way to the cervix and uterus to maximize your chances of fertilization. If you're trying to get pregnant, sex positions to avoid include standing positions and any others that cause gravity to work against you, which can make it harder for sperm to swim toward their target.

Go for the O

One thing that Mother Nature has provided to increase the likelihood of fertilization is the orgasm. These strong muscular contractions are designed to draw semen upward and into the uterus. So the best position to get pregnant may be the one that results in a female orgasm.

Post-Sex Positioning

Although not scientifically proven to aid in fertilization, some women swear by lying down after sex or even placing a pillow under their hips to try and keep semen in their body. The idea is that more semen that remains in the vagina, the higher the chance of fertilization. But with 50-500 million sperm in every ejaculation and only 400 needed to reach the egg for a good chance of fertilization, allowing a few million to seep out doesn't seem like it would have that much impact on success rates.

Is There a Best Sexual Position to Get Pregnant with a Boy or a Girl?

The old stories say the best position to get pregnant with a boy is one that allows for deep penetration while a girl is more likely to be conceived through shallow penetration, such as side-by-side or spooning. The idea is that X and Y sperm have different swim patterns and where the sperm is deposited affects which sperm reach the egg. Of course, there's no real proof that this is true.

Lack of Proof Doesn't Mean You Shouldn't Try

Even though there’s no scientific proof to support the idea that there’s a best position to get pregnant, achieving fertilization isn't solely based on science. Luck and timing have a role, and who's to say there isn't a best sexual position to get pregnant? If you're eager to conceive, there's certainly no harm in trying different positions to get you there.